Midnight Whispers
by Crazy Girl Person
Summary: They never could say what the wanted to say to each other while the sun was up.  Perhaps one day they could work up the nerve, but until then, they always had their midnight whispers.  DerekxAngie.


Midnight Whispers

When one became a world renowned super doctor, it was to be expected that more work hours would be added onto an already busy schedule. The same was true for the world renowned doctor's assistant. Long work weeks, sixteen hour shifts and a whole lot of jet lag had become a common thing for Dr. Derek Stiles and Nurse Angie Thompson. Sleep was becoming scarce with the two and, as a result, they were prone to falling asleep in planes, cars (not while driving, thankfully) and even in the cushy chairs of various board rooms. As they became more susceptible to slumbering in unusual places, another occurrence became a more frequent sight; Dr. Stiles carrying his unconscious nurse in his arms.

Derek was, more often then not, the first one to wake from their catnaps. He would carefully pick up Angie, upon seeing that she was still asleep, and take her to the nearest available bed. This came much to the amusement of their colleagues.

"Ah, that's so sweet of you, Derek!" Leslie giggled as Derek bowed his head sheepishly. Tyler was not far away, already grinning as he walked down the hallway. "Score for Stiles, eh?"

"Shut _up_, Tyler!" Derek hissed through clenched teeth. He felt familiar warmth in his face as he growled at his snickering co-workers. He no longer blushed as radiantly as he had when this ritual first took place, but he was not quite accustom to being seen with a sleeping girl cradled in his arms. "Oh, but it's so cute, though!" Leslie said and Tyler futilely tried to muffle his sputtered laughter.

"Be quiet! You're gonna wake her up!" Derek snapped as quietly as he could while still getting his point across. They hushed, but their teasing grins still bored into his back as he briskly walked away. He felt Angie squirm against him and he immediately slowed his pace. He held his breath, afraid that he may wake her as she shifted in his hold. She curled up slightly and turned her face to his chest before relaxing again. Derek let out a sigh and hoped that his now hammering heart did not rouse her.

"Hm . . ."

Derek looked up at the voice and found himself meeting the gaze of one, Dr. Victor Niguel. The young researcher was propped against the doorway of his laboratory, arms crossed in their usual fashion as his dark eyes studied the surgeon and nurse. "Not a _word_ out of you." Derek growled. Victor simply shrugged his shoulders in response. "I wasn't planning on saying anything." Even as he picked up his pace, Derek could feel Victor's normally indifferent expression produce a smirk in his wake. He slowed again once he turned the corner and was sure he was out of Victor's field of vision. He was getting pretty close to the on-call room anyway.

Not close enough.

As he turned another corner, he was greeted by his conversing superiors; Dr. Robert Hoffman and Chief Sidney Kasal. They paid him no mind at first, being engrossed in what sounded to be a very serious discussion. Derek hoped it was serious enough to keep hold of their attention, but luck was not running with him at the moment. It took only two seconds for them to look up and notice him and the slumbering Angie. This was a first. Derek could deal with the ribbings from his co-workers but he was not quite sure how his bosses would react to this. He felt himself grow a shade closer to crimson, having the sinking feeling that he would have some explaining to do.

"Is she all right?" Sidney asked.

"Y-yeah, she's just tired." Derek replied, hoping that would be enough to sate their curiosity. "I can't say I blame her. You two have been pulling longer shifts lately." Hoffman gave a sideways grin as he spoke. "You should get some sleep too, Dr. Stiles."

"Yeah, I was just on my way to the on-call room."

"Well then, you both have a nice nap."

"R-right . . . thank you, Dr. Hoffman."

Derek diverted his gaze and got out of there before his face turned any redder. The on-call room finally presented itself and he opened the door, thankfully finding it empty. He flicked a switch and gentle light, just bright enough to keep one from tripping over the cots and shelves flooded the room. Derek zeroed in on a bed in the far left corner and carefully placed Angie upon it. She shifted a bit in her sleep, feeling for a comfortable position on the bed, before settling on her back.

Derek could not help but smile. He loved watching Angie sleep.

There was not a doubt in his mind that her sleeping form was among the most beautiful things he had seen. Her yellow hair never failed to spill over her face and pillow. Her soft, pink lips would part to draw in warm breath. A hand would always settle near her forehead, fingers half curled, while the other came to rest sprawled over her stomach. It was such a serene image; beating his heart tenderly.

He sat on the edge of her cot, careful not to take up any of her space. Slowly, he reached up to her face and gently brushed her hair aside. "I know how you feel about me." He whispered as he continued to stroke her forehead. "Even before we met Dr. Kimishima, I had always known. . . you weren't exactly subtle, you know, and I'm not as stupid as people think I am." He chuckled softly. "Yet, you keep hiding your tears from me. Are you afraid that I don't feel the same way? I guess I can't blame you, because I do, and I still haven't worked up the guts to tell you." He sighed softly and paused, watching Angie slowly breathe. He kept brushing her hair back as he continued. "I wish I knew what was holding me back, but until then, I hope this'll hold you over."

Derek leaned in and planted a small kiss on her forehead. Smiling, he slowly got up from the cot and placed a blanket over her. "Sweet dreams, Angie." He whispered and turned towards a cot on the other side of the room. He placed his glasses on the counter beside it and all but collapsed into it. He did not even bother to remove his surgical headset or shoes before draping the blanket around him and closing his eyes. Fatigue had returned and sleep was quick to overtake him, but not before a final conscious thought of his nurse.

-----

Angie was slightly disoriented when she woke up. She sat up, trying to figure out where she was, but quickly recognized the on-call room. A blush came to her when she realized Derek must have carried her there again. She peeled the blanket off of her body and stretched her arms over her head. With a yawn, she stood from the cot and rubbed her eyes, wondering where her surgeon could have disappeared to.

Her answer came in the form of a groan and creaking of cot springs as someone rolled over in their sleep. She quickly scanned the room, seeing no one else there but herself and the person sleeping on the other side of the room, who she assumed was Derek. Following the noise, she found that her assumption was right, but could only frown at what she saw. Derek was tossing and turning in his sleep, his brow dotted with sweat and his face contorted in pain.

_Not again . . ._

If there was one thing that Angie learned about Derek during their worldly travels and increased time spent together, it was that he was prone to nightmares. This was not the first time she discovered him thrashing about in his sleep and she knew it would not be the last. Sorrow pooled in her eyes as she moved in to calm him. Knowing how to comfort him without waking him up was another thing she had learned.

"Shhhhh, it's okay." She whispered in his ear as she wiped the sweat from his forehead. Her other hand rubbed his chest and stomach soothingly as she continued to murmur comforting words to him. Slowly but surely, his fearful twitching died down, his perturbed expression melted away, and he collapsed into a restful sleep. She sighed and continued to run her fingers through his bangs. "Oh, Derek, I just wish you'd tell me what was scaring you so badly."

Derek was always evasive about his dreams, refusing to talk about them, and mostly just pretending he did not have them at all. It frustrated Angie to no end. She was not expecting him to spill out all his personal thoughts and secrets to her, but if he would just talk to her about them, she might be able to help him. Then again, she could not blame him. She was holding back on him as well.

Angie laid her head down on the pillow beside his, taking in the sounds of his rhythmic, calm breathing. "You just don't know how much you mean to me, Derek." Her hand continued to rest sprawled over his chest and she gently traced her fingers over it. "I didn't like you at first. I thought you were one of those arrogant, slacker doctors. But, you've proven me wrong. I've watched you grow and improve as a doctor and that, in turn, made me grow as well. We've both come a long way, and I hope we can keep going – together." She smiled and lifted her head to look at him. "Dr. Kimishima was right. You deserve to see how I feel about you. And I'll show you, tomorrow . . . or maybe the next day. I'm . . . still a little nervous . . but I _will_ show you, soon."

She leaned in and kissed his cheek sweetly, brushing his bangs back as she stood up. "It's almost time for our next shift, so I'll go get us some coffee. If you're not up by the time I get back, I'm going to kick you out of that bed." She smiled mischievously to herself, knowing she would not do such a thing, but it was still a fun mental image to entertain. She straightened up his ruffled blanket before turning to leave, glancing back at him once she reached the door. "Sweet dreams, Derek."

-----

A/N: This is an entry for another fanfiction contest. BTW – _Necrophobia_ won the other contest I entered! Yays for me!

The theme this time is obviously romance for a TC couple of our choosing. Who else would I choose anyway? Actually, it was a tough call between writing this and another shot I had in mind (which I will post at another time).

Fun fact: Many of you have probably figured this out by now, or are already aware of it. For those who aren't, the on-call room is where staff members of hospitals or police stations can sleep while they are on the clock. It's sort of like a break room, but set up with cots/beds and for the main purpose of sleeping. After all, you don't want a sleep deprived surgeon operating on you, do you?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch the new Pixar film, _Rata-tatatouille. _


End file.
